The true northerner., 1887-12-14

would nedude the pr ncipal Of the debt by actual
payment instead OF extending it.
the government in banks throughout the coun-
try for use by the people. is. it seems to me.
EXCEEDINGLY OBJECTIONABLE
| In principle establishing too close relation
snip between the operations of the Governments
treasury ana the business OF the country, ana
| too extensive commingling of their money thus
| fostering an unnatural reliance in private busi-
moss npon public funds. Ii this scheme should
| be adopted IL snould only be done as a tempo
rary expedient to meet an urgent necessity
Legislative and executive effort should gener-
ally be in the opposite direction and should
have tendency to divorce, as much and as
\ fast ms can safely be done. the Treasury De-
partment from private enterprise.
OF course il Is not expected that unnecessary
and extrayagant appropriations Will be made
| for the purpose OF avoiding the accumulation OF
| an excess OF revenue. Such expenditure, be-
| sides the Generalization OF all just conceptions
OF public duty which 1t entails, stimulates a
habit of reckless improvidence not i'll the least
consistent with the mission OF our people or tho
| high and benehcent purposes OF our Govern
| ment.
have deemed it my duty to thus bring to
| the knowledge of my countrymen, as well as
| to the attention OF their REPRESENTATIVES,
| charged with the responsibility OF legislative
| relief, the
| GRAVITY OF OUR FINANCIAL SITUATION.
The failure OF the Congress heretofore to pro-
vide against the dangers which IL was quite ev.
| ident the very nature OF the difficulty must
| necessarily produce, caused n condition OF
| unauC1al ulbtreSB ana nppfe enenslOn since your
| last adjournment which taxed to the utmost
| all the authority and exped ents within execu-
! tive control, and these appear now to be OK
hausted II disaster results from the eontin-
| ued inaction of Congress. the responsibility
| must rest where it belongs.
Though the situation thus far considered is
| fraught with danger which should be fully re-
allied, and though it presents features OF
wrong to the people as well as peril to the coun-
| rry, it Is but result growing out OF
| n perfectly palpable and apparent cause, con-
| alarming
stances-a congested National Treasury and u
| depleted monetary condition i'm the business of
| the country. 1t need hardly be stated that
while the present situation demands II remedy,
we can only be saved from IA like predicament
in the future by the removal of the cause.
SCHEME OF TAXATION.
Our scheme of taxation by means Of which
this needless surplus il taken from the people
and put into tho public treasury consists of a
tariff duty levied upon importations from
abroad, and internal rev enue taxes levied upon
the consumption OF tobacco end spirituous and
malt liquors. 1t must be conceded that none OF
the things subjected to acknowledgements taxa
tion are, strictly speaking, necessaries; there
appears to be no just complaint OF this taxation
by the consumers OF these articles, and there
seems TO be nothing so well able to bear the
burden without hardship to any portion OF the
people.
But our present tariff laws-the vicious, in
equitable and illegal source of unnecessary tax
aton-ought to be at once re vised and amend
ed. These laws, as their primary ana plain
effect raise the price TO consumers of all articles
sum paid for such duties. Thus the amount
OF tue duty measures the tax paid by
those who purchase for use these imported
articles. Many Of these tsings, how
our own country and the duties now levied up
on foreign grains and products are called pro-
lection to these home manufactures, because
they render it possible for those of cur people
who are manufacturers to make these taxed ar
ticles and sell them Tor price equal to that
demanded for the imported goods that have
ma hat
while comparatively n few use tue imported
articles, millions Of our people, who never use
and never saw any OF the imported products,
purchase and use things OF the same kind
made in this country, and pay there
for nearly quite the same enhanced
price which the duty adds to the imported
articles. Those who buy imports pay the duty
charged thereon into the public Treasury but
the great majority Of our citizens, who buy do
mestic articles OF the same class pay a sum at
least approximately equal to this duty to the
home manufacturer. This reference to the OPP
Grafton of our tariff laws is not made by way of
restriction. but in order that we may be con-
stantly reminded of the manner in which they
impose a burden upon those who consume do
mestic products as we'll as those W no consume
imported articles and thus create tax upon
all our people.
1t is not proposed to entirely relieve the coun-
try Of this taxation. 1t must be extensively con-
tinued as the source Of the Governments in
come and in a real tJustment of our tariff the in
terests OF American labor eng lg ID in manufact-
ure should be carefully considered, as we'll rs
the preservation of our manufactures. IL may
be called protection, or by any other name, but
relief from the hardshiIs and dangers OF our
present tariff laws should be devised with espe-
cial precaution against importing the existence
existence should not mean condition
which, without regard to the public
welfare or a national exigency must al
ways insure the realization OF immense
profits instead of moderately profitable returns
AS the volume and diversities of our national
activities increase new recruits are added to
flNDan nxkaa Il ufN tim 81.
tages which they conceive the present system
of tariff taxation directly affords them. So
stubbornly have all efforts to reform the pres
ent condition been resisted by those OF our
fellow-citizens thus engaged that they can
eau hardly complain of the suspicion, enter
tanned to II certain extent that thore exists an
ORGANIZED COMBINATION
along the line to maintain Their advantage
We are in the midst of centennial cele ebrations
and with becoming PRIDE rejoice in Ameri-
can skill and ingenuity, in American energy
and enterprise, and in the wonderful natural
Advantages and resources developed by n cen
turys national growth. Yet when an attempt
is made to Justify scheme which permits a
tax to be laid upon every consumer in the land
for the benefit of manufacturers quite be-
yond n reasonable demand for governmental
regard it suits the purposes of nd ocacy to call
our manufactures infant industries, still need
ing the highest and greatest degree of favor and
fostering care that can be wrung from Federal
legislation.
THE woRKINGMAN's POSITION
1t is also said that the increase in the price OF
domestic manufactures resulting from the
present tariff is necessary in order that higher
wages may be paid to our workingmen EN-
ployed in manufactures than paid for what
Is called the pauper labor of Europe. All will
nowledge the force OF argument which
involves the welfare and liberal compen-
sation OF our laboring people. Our labor
is honorable in the eyes of every Amer
lean citizen, and as it lies at the foun-
datlon OF our development and progress,
it is entitled, without affee etation or hy-
pocrisy, TO the utmost regard. The standard
of our laborers life should not be measured
by that of any other country less favored, and
they are entitled to their full share of all our
advantages
BY the last census it is made to appear that of
the IL, 1872, ,099 of our population engaged in oil
kinds of industries, Y,6iO,493 are employed in
agriculture, 4074,233 in professional aud per-
sonel service 2.9l4 S76 of whom arc domestic
servants and laborers), while 1910, 2j6 are en-
ployed in trade and transportation, and 3 S}7,-
III are classod as employed in manufacturing
and mining.
For present purposes, however, the last num-
Der given should be considerably reduced
Without attempting to enumerate ALL it will be
those which it includes 37j. LAB carpenters and
joiners, 2S5,io2 miliners, dressmakers and
seamstresses, 172,126 blacksmiths. 133,75O
tailors and taioresses lO3, l73 masons, 76,24l
butchers, Al ,309 bakers, 220Si plasterers
and 1891 engaged in manufacturing agri-
cultural implements, amounting in tho az
gregate to l,2lI,O2i, leaving 2,623,0SJ persons
employed in such manufacturing industries
as are claimed to be benefited by n high
tariff To those the appeal is made to save
their employment and maintain their wages by